Within hours after Election Day 2008 was over, the punditocracy had moved on to speculation about 2012 and the political future of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, whom many conservatives consider to be the next GOP frontrunner.

If history is a guide, however, chances are next to nil that Palin will survive the primaries in four years, and even if she does, her odds of winning the presidency are even slimmer. In fact, based on past performances of losing vice presidential nominees over the last 180 years (see chart below), Sarah Palin's chances of becoming president at any point in the future are 45 to 1, at best.

It is not uncommon for losing vice presidential nominees to run for the big job, of course. Most recently John Edwards (who lost with John Kerry in 2004) and Joe Lieberman (Gore, 2000) have run unsuccessful primary campaigns. In the 2000 election, former Vice Pres. Dan Quayle, whose ticket with the senior Pres. Bush was defeated by Bill Clinton in 1992, briefly ran against George W. Bush and John McCain in the GOP primaries.

Other losing vice presidential nominees who later ran but failed to be nominated include Democrat Edmund Muskie, who lost to Richard Nixon on the ticket with Vice Pres. Hubert Humphrey in 1968; Republican Earl Warren, the former California governor and eventual Supreme Court chief justice, who ran with Thomas E. Dewey against Pres. Harry Truman, who won reelection in 1948; and Nicholas M. Butler, running mate to GOP Pres. William H. Taft, who lost to Woodrow Wilson in 1912.

Muskie ran in the primaries in 1972. Warren's name was floated as a rival to Dwight Eisenhower in 1952, and Butler ran unsuccessfully for the nomination in 1920 and 1928.

In fact, in the last 45 cycles, only three losing V.P. nominees have gone on to lead tickets. Vice Pres. Walter Mondale, who, with Pres. Jimmy Carter, lost to Ronald Reagan in 1980, lost again to Reagan in 1984. And Bob Dole, who ran in 1976 on the losing ticket with Pres. Gerald Ford, led the ticket in 1996 that lost to Pres. Bill Clinton.

The only successful candidate in the group was Franklin Roosevelt, who was on the losing ticket in 1920 with James M. Cox, a Democrat, who ran against Warren G. Harding. Twelve years later, Roosevelt won the presidency against Herbert Hoover, and went on to serve four terms.

(Prior to 1828, the electoral process and political party system was so different from today that results are statistically useless for this analysis. See this description of the 1824 race, for example, in which Andrew Jackson ran for president on one ticket and for vice president on another. And in the earliest elections, the presidential candidate who get the second largest number of votes became vice president.)

Past Performance of Failed Vice Presidential Nominees

LEGEND

*

Losing VP who became nominee and won the presidency

**

Losing VPs who became nominees but lost elections

***

Losing VPs who ran for president but lost in primaries

YEAR

WINNER

PRES. LOSER

VP LOSER

2008

Barack Obama

John McCain

Sarah Palin (GOP)

2004

Pres. George Bush

John Kerry

John Edwards *** (Dem)

2000

George Bush

Al Gore

Joe Lieberman *** (Dem)

1996

Pres. Bill Clinton

Bob Dole

Jack Kemp (GOP)

1992

Bill Clinton

Pres. George Bush

V.P. Dan Quayle *** (GOP)

1988

V.P. George Bush

Michael Dukkakis

Lloyd Bentsen (Dem)

1984

Pres. Ronald Reagan

Fmr. VP Walter Mondale

Geraldine A. Ferraro (Dem)

1980

Ronald Reagan

Pres. Jimmy Carter

VP Walter F. Mondale** (Dem)

1976

Jimmy Carter

Pres. Gerald Ford

Bob Dole** (GOP)

1972

Pres. Richard Nixon

George McGovern

Sargent Shriver (Dem)

1968

Richard Nixon

V.P. Hubert Humphrey

Edmund Muskie *** (Dem)

1964

Pres. Lyndon Johnson

Barry M. Goldwater

William E. Miller (GOP)

1960

John F. Kennedy

Fmr. VP Richard Nixon

Henry Cabot Lodge (GOP)

1956

Pres. Dwight Eisenhower

Adlai Stevenson II

Estes Kefauver (Dem)

1952

Dwight Eisenhower

Adlai Stevenson II

John J. Sparkman (Dem)

1948

Pres. Harry Truman

Thomas E. Dewey

Earl Warren *** (GOP)

1944

Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt

Thomas E. Dewey

John W. Bricker (GOP)

1940

Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt

Wendell L. Willkie

Charles L. McNary (GOP)

1936

Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt

Alfred M. Landon

Frank Knox (GOP)

1932

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Pres. Herbert Hoover

VP Charles Curtis (GOP)

1928

Herbert Hoover

Alfred E. Smith

Joseph T. Robinson (Dem)

1924

Calvin Coolidge

John W. Davis

Charles W. Bryan (Dem)

1920

Warren G. Harding

James M. Cox

Franklin D. Roosevelt (Dem) *

1916

Pres. Woodrow Wilson

Charles E. Hughes

Fmr. VP Charles W. Fairbanks (GOP)

1912

Woodrow Wilson

Pres. William H. Taft

Nicholas M. Butler *** (GOP)

1908

William H. Taft

William Jennings Bryan

John W. Kern (Dem)

1904

Theodore Roosevelt

Alton B. Parker

Henry G. Davis (Dem)

1900

Pres. William McKinley

William Jennings Bryan

Fmr. VP Adlai Stevenson I (Dem)

1896

William McKinley

William Jennings Bryan

Arthur Sewall (Dem)

1892

Fmr. Pres. Grover Cleveland

Pres. Benjamin Harrison

Whitelaw Reid (GOP)

1888

Benjamin Harrison

Pres. Grover Cleveland

A. G. Thurman (Dem)

1884

Grover Cleveland

James G. Blaine

John A. Logan (GOP)

1880

James A. Garfield

Winfield S. Hancock

William H. English (Dem)

1876

Rutherford B. Hayes

Samuel J. Tilden

Thomas A. Hendricks (GOP)

1872

Pres. Ulysses S. Grant

Horace Greeley

B. Gratz Brown (GOP)

1868

Ulysses S. Grant

Horatio Seymour

Francis P. Blair, Jr. (GOP)

1864

Pres. Abraham Lincoln

George McClellan

G.H. Pendleton (Dem)

1860

Abraham Linclon

John C. Breckinridge

Joseph Lane (Dem)

1856

James Buchanan

John C. Fremont

William L. Dayton (GOP)

1852

Franklin Pierce

Winfield Scott

William A. Graham (Whig)

1848

Zachary Taylor

Lewis Cass

William O. Butler (Dem)

1844

James K. Polk

Henry Clay

Theo. Frelinghuysen (Whig)

1840

William H. Harrison

Pres. Martin Van Buren

VP Richard M. Johnson (Dem)

1836

VP Martin Van Buren

William H. Harrison

Francis Granger (Whig)

1832

Pres. Andrew Jackson

Henry Clay

John Sergeant (Nat. Rep.)

1828

Andrew Jackson

Pres. John Quincy Adams

Richard Rush (Nat. Rep.)

Bonus trivia factoid: The daughters of two losing vice presidential nominees are nationally known Californians today. Maria Shriver, the former NBC News reporter who is married to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, is the daughter of Sargent Shriver, the Democrat who lost to Richard Nixon on the ticket with George McGovern in 1972. And Stephanie Miller, the comedian and Los Angeles-based liberal radio talker --- it was she who first called Palin "Caribou Barbie" --- is the daughter of William Miller, who lost with Republican Barry Goldwater to Pres. Lyndon Johnson in 1964.

Yes Ancient and probably everyone that questions 911 has too. You would think being who he is that he would get more attention but not a peep from the CMSM or congress. Of course Ray Mcgovern doesnt get the respect he deserves either.

I hope the U.S. has learned the lesson of the kind of "conservatism" that we was bush whacked with.

I remember when Regan became president. I am using ball park numbers but from Washington to Carter, our deficit was a TRILLION dollars. WoW! After Regan's first term, 2 trillion. His next term another trillion in the hole. Then Bush Sr... another trillion. Four trillion in the hole when Clinton got to play.

I thought when Bush 1 was booted out that we would not have to worry any more.

Two terms of "liberalism" and our national debt starts to shrink a bit for once.

Only in Amerika. Only here we call some bone head a conservative when he breaks America's bank, puts us 10 trillion in the hole.

No, the world is not ready for another idiot (Palin) in the office of the president.

Thank God! The main thing the Republican Party needs to do right now is push Palin back into Pandora's box. This ditsy pixie from Alaska is no more fit to lead the country than my cat. But the more ignorant wing of the party loves her. What's an intelligent elephant to do? I say look to Bobby Jindal of Louisiana.

If Sarah Palin becomes President in 2012, it will be a clear sign that I can begin walking around in a caveman suit and clogs while embracing Chuck, my rubber ducky. Oh, and still be respected as an upstanding member of society.

I haven't a clue. I've been out of circulation for over a day, and Brad gets frisky when I'm not watching. He's probably being clever about something... or the server blew a gasket... or... well... you only think something's happening with your comments. I don't know how old you are, but us codgers always have problems forgetting to click "publish" and "send" and "submit"....

No no 99, I've been postin for awhile here...and recently my commenting lost its preview box...Now, (BTW thanks for the article button back) when i tried to post a article... 6-7 early morning and freshly times...it wouldn't go through. Also when I moved locations. A first for me here at "the blog". I'm curious, but it wasn't a codger deal. Honest! Thank you very much.

[ed note: Found the problem. Software decided you were spam. This can happen when your ISP rotates you into a number used by spammers and usually resolves itself, but also, the software doesn't like you making the same comment or same link over and over.... --99]